Folded fibrous material product



l UNITED sTAT Patented ct. 17, 1950 .j i FoLDED rlous MATERIAL PRODUCT Norval F. Wilson, East Alton, Ill., assignor to AltonBox Board Company, Alton, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application June 3, 1944, Serial No. 538,632

4 Claims.

The invention relates to a panel, plaque, plate or the like made from a sheet of non-metallic fibrous material such as paper, cloth or a combination of the same, a familiar example of which is cardboard used in construction of paper boxes,

cartons, etc. Y Y

The main object of the invention is to provide a substantially rigid panel-like or plate-like .or substantially will be covered and not exposed.

These and other detail objects as will be apparent from the following description are attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan-v of a blank of sheet material from which a vehicle license plate may be constructed. Y

Figure 2 is a front view of a completed plate.

Figure 3'is a rear view of the plate.

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a horizontal view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 2.

Figures 6 and 8 correspond to Figure 1 but :illustrate modified forms of a sheet from which a license plate may be formed.

Figures 7 and 9 are sections taken on the corresponding lines of Figures 6 and 8, respectively, after the respective plates have been completed. f

The sheet illustrated in Figure 1 may be of any suitable'non-metallic fibrous material, such as cloth, paper or like material in which the fibers F are laid flat with their length disposed linjthe plane of the sheet. Preferably, the manuv facture of the material will include a pressing or ironing vstep which gives at least one face of the sheet a smooth finish, adapting it for a display surface. If desired, this surface may be calendered.

The sheet is die cut or otherwise trimmed to the cruciform contour indicated, and such the edges of the sheet. When so trimmed, the sheet will comprise a central body portion I, end lobes 2, a, lower lobe 3 and an upper lobe 4. Fold lines for the end lobes 2 are indicated trimming involves the-shearing of the fibers at at 2a., for the lower lobe 3 at 3a, and for.r the upper lobe 4 at 4a. Preferably,'fold lines 2a are offset a short distance outwardly from the cut edges 3b of the lower lobe and 4b of the upper lobe.

To form the panel, the face of the sheet nearest the observer is coated with a suitable cement, preferably Waterproof or water-repellent, such as asphaltum, rubber in solution, or a plasticized adhesive, for example a polyvinyl alcohol product. Then end lobes 2 are folded about fold lines 2a to overlie the central body portion. Lower lobe 3 is folded about fold line 3a to overlie the folded in end lobes 2 and the central body portion I, and then upper lobe ll is folded about fold line 4a to overlie the lower lobe 3, the end lobes 2 and the central body portion l.

The lobes will then be as indicated in Figures 2, 3, Lland 5, and there will be formed a substantially rigid panel or plate the perimeter of which will be defined by fold edges of smooth finish sheet-surface material. The cut edges 2b of the end lobes will be covered by the lower and upper lobes. The cut edge 3c of the lower lobe will be covered by the upper lobe. The cut edges 3b and 4b of the lower and upper lobes will be exposed but will be spaced inwardly from the fold edges defining the ends of the plate. The cut edge 4c of the upper lobe will be exposed but will be spaced inwardly of the plate from the fold edge defining the top of the plate.

The plate may be provided with apertures 5 for bolts or other attaching elements. These apertures may be punched after the plate is otherwise finished, as indicated in Figures 2', 3, 4 and 5, or they may be punched in the blank of sheet material, as indicated in Figure l. The plate may then be given one or more coatings of waterproof enamel, lacquer, varnish or liquid plastic. Such a coatingV is indicated at C, it being understood that the thickness is exaggerated for the purpose of illustration. Before or after this coating is applied, the plate may be imprinted with suitable indicia, that shown being recognizable as suitable for a vehicle license plate.

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate another form of the invention in which the ycentral Vportion I0 and end lobes l! correspond generally to the Yportions iandl described above, and the end lobes are first folded over fold lines lia to overlie the from one side of central portion I0, between end 3 lobes and is of sufficient extent to be doubled iirst about fold line 12a, and then folded on fold line |2b to overlie folded end lobes il and the corresponding face of central portion I9.

A license plate formed in this manner will have the same general characteristics as a plate formed as previously described, particularly in that the cut edges i Ib of the end lobes will be covered by the lobe 4I2 and the cut edges Hc of lobes H and the cut edges I2C and l2d of lobe i2 and the cut edge c of body l will be spaced inwardly from edges of the plate formed by thefolding yover of the sheet material.

Figures 8 and 9 illustrate another form or the invention which corresponds even more closely to that shown in Figures 1-5 in having the central body portion 2l, end lobes 22 .and vlower lobe 23 substantially the same as the corresponding parts of the blank shown in Figure 1, but the upper lobe 24 corresponds in area to the central body portion 2i and extends substantially entirely throughout the back -face of the plate when the structure is completed. This `makes a heavier and stiffer plate. 'The cut -edges of the sheet material are similarly covered and spaced from the pe- `rimeter of the plate.

Each form of the -invention attains the objects indicated in the introductory portion of the yspecification and more particularly provides a plate formed of sheet material having lobes or ilaps with cut edges which are so folded that the 'cut edges are spaced'inwardly from the perimeter o'f the plate Vand are protected from the likelihood -of being bruised, scratched, distorted `or aiTected 'by rough handling, `by contact with extraneous objects, by water, mud, gravel, etc. which may be 'ing it.

vThe sheet 4material `is readily blanked and the completed panels are readily formed on the machines usually operated for .producing cardboard boxes and'like articles.

'While the drawings and detail Ydescription disclose a specic form of the invention, namely, a vehiclelicense plate, 'the invention may be embodied in other forms, such as -road signs and other signs, bulletin-boards, etc intended to be placed outdoors, or in=o`ther installations vwhere exposed to moisture and like destructive conditions.

IThe arrangement of the body -portion and the 'lobes or iaps and Ytheir relative sizes and the forder of their successive folds may be varied sub stantially without departing from the spirit of 'the invention,'and the exclusive use of those modications'coniing within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. A panel formed from a piece of iibrous sheet material comprising a display face portion, two

.end iiap portions'formed integrally with the display Vface portion and adapted when folded back to cooperate to cover substantially the entire back surface of the display face portion, two side flap portions also formed integrally with the display portion and adapted when folded back to cover the back surfaces of said end iiap portions, means cementing substantially the entire surface of each turned-back portion securely to the juxtaposed part, and means serving to waterproof the sheet material of the panel said end flap portions and said side flap portions when folded providing said display face portions with a smooth folded perimeter to minimize absorption 0f moisture by said display face portion when exposed to the weather.

2. A device of the class described formed of a sheet of non-metallic fibrous material, portions of the sheet 'being folded back on the remainder of the sheet with the doubled over portions cemented together substantially throughout their superimposed area to form a substantially rigid panel of multiply thickness from edge to edge and with the fold edges constituting a smooth "perimeter of the panel to minimize absorption of moisture through the panel perimeter, all the vcut edges of the sheet being .spaced inwardly of the perimeter from the smooth fold edges, and at least lall but one of the cut edgesvbeing overlapped by the folded over portions to prevent absorption of moisture through the overlapped cut edges.

Y3. A panel formed from a piece of iibrous sheet material comprising a display face portion, iiap 'portions formed integrally with the .display face portion adapted Vwhen folded 'back to cover the .back face of said display face portion evenly throughout its area except for comparatively small spaces betweenI the iiaps, means cementing the turned-back portions securely in the specifled positions, and means serving to waterproof the sheetmaterial of the panel.

4. A panel formed from a piece of iibroussheet material comprising .a display face portion, two end ap .portions formed integrally with the display face portion and adapted when folded back to cover the back surface of the display lface portion, twoside flap .portions also formed integrally with the display portion` and adapted when folded back to cover the back surfaces of said end flap portions, means cernenting'the turned-back portions securely in the specified positions, and

fmeans serving to waterproof the sheet material of the panel.

YNORVAL F. WILSON.

' REFERENCES CITED rThe Yfollowing references are of record inthe le of this patent:

UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Number Name Date 371,217 Procter Oct. l11,1887 508,497 .Annison Nov. 14, 1893 823,307 Stovel June 12, 1906 825,053 Hoag July 3, 1906 857,778 Wittstein June 25, 1907 1,406,516 Williarnset al Feb. 14,v `1922 .1,554,897 Taylor Sept. 22, 1925 1,639,689 vElphinstone Augl 23, 1927 1,956,392 Leth Apr.24, 11934 2,029,158 vClarke Jan. v28, 1936 2,176,292 Brown et al Oct. 17, 1939 2,224,607 Petzold ,Dec 10, 1940 2,305,750 Vokaty. Dec. ,22, 1942 .2,379,336 VBelanger June 26, 19.45 

